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AUGUSTA—Senator Justin Chenette, D-Saco, was sworn into the Maine Senate at the State House in Augusta today as it’s youngest member at age 27. He also has the distinction of being the only openly gay member of the Senate.
Sen. Chenette was re-elected to his second term in the State Senate...

AUGUSTA — Sen. Justin Chenette, D-Saco, has received a perfect score from the Maine AFL-CIO’s legislative scorecard for his support of working families during the second session of the 128th Legislature.
“My goal in the Legislature is to represent the interests of working people and their...

Senator Justin Chenette is serving his first term as the youngest member of the Maine Senate, representing Saco, Old Orchard Beach, Hollis, Limington, and part of Buxton. He previously served two terms in the Maine House of Representatives, representing the city of Saco.

In 2012, at the age of 21, Senator Chenette made history by becoming the nation’s youngest openly gay legislator and Maine’s youngest lawmaker. The Advocate magazine named him “an architect of the next decade,” and listed him among the 40 Under 40 most accomplished leaders throughout the country in 2013. In the House, Senator Chenette was a member of the Criminal Justice & Public Safety Committee, served on the State & Local Government Committee, and was co-chair of the Legislature’s bipartisan Youth Caucus.

Senator Chenette’s political career began at age 17, when Gov. John Baldacci appointed him to serve on the Maine State Board of Education as its first student member. There, he advocated for civics education and drug prevention programming. He has been a national delegate to the Democratic National Convention, and interned for Republican U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, so he understands the importance of bipartisanship.

He currently works for the Journal Tribune as their digital advertising executive. He also is a small-business owner, running his own multimedia public relations company, Chenette Media LLC. He lives in Saco with his husband, Eduard.

Board Positions

In 2013, Senator Justin Chenette founded the Saco Bay Center for Civic Engagement, a nonprofit to foster active citizenship and social responsibility by increasing volunteerism throughout Saco, Biddeford and Old Orchard Beach. He currently serves as the center’s president and CEO. He also serves on the Saco Main Street board of directors, and is active in the community through various organizations, including the Saco Bay Rotary Club, the Old Orchard Beach Chamber of Commerce, the Buxton-Hollis Historical Society and the Friends of the Old Orchard Beach Ballpark.